Fielding Graduate University News

Fielding Graduate University is partnering with the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) who also reached agreements with the University of St. Maarten, Philipsburg, St. Maarten; the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica; Nantong University, China; Yangzhou University, China; and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Each of the agreements, known as memoranda of understanding (MOU), are unique and share a spirit of cooperation and understanding. UVI’s MOU with Fielding is intended to establish mutually beneficial collaborations in academic programs, research, the pursuit of grants, continuing education, and certificate programs. “The common goal of the MOUs is to enhance the UVI experience, either by having students from other parts of the world in the classroom here at UVI or by having UVI students sit in the classrooms around the world,” said UVI Provost Dr. Camille McKayle, “A 21st Century education needs to be a global education. UVI graduates will find themselves in work environments with people from around the world, actually and virtually. UVI aims to prepare them for that environment by giving them opportunities to see that world so that it is a less daunting place.”

The general objective of the agreement with Fielding is to engage in long-term collaboration in fields that are compatible with the orientation and expertise of each institution. The MOU provides for possible collaborations involving a PhD collaborative program in leadership with agreed upon credits transferable from one institution to the other. This collaboration will target, though not exclusively, Fielding’s Schools of Human and Organizational Development and School of Education Leadership for Change. Students will be able to study several concentrations including, academic leadership, political leadership, ecological justice leadership and health leadership.

According to the MOU other possible collaborations include:

Joint courtesy/adjunct faculty appointments to support PhD degree programs at each institution

Faculty exchanges

Continuing education opportunities on selected topics

Faculty development in competency based education and/or prior learning assessments

Faculty development and technical support in instructional design

Joint research activity in areas of mutual interest and expertise

Joint applications for external grants in areas of mutual interest and expertise

Possible establishment of a formal center or institute on leadership and diversity to house Fielding/UVI activity possibly in conjunction with Fielding’s Institute for Social Innovation or Fielding’s new Marie Fielder Center on Democracy, Leadership and Education.

The MOU is for three years with an automatic renewal unless terminated.

Fielding Graduate University President Katrina Rogers, PhD stated, “We are honored to be working with the University of Virgin Islands to support our mutual goals to develop leadership across the globe for the complex, often difficult conditions, our graduates will face over the course of their careers. We look forward to many years of a partnership to create effective educational offerings for students that assist them in attaining their professional goals and provide skills and knowledge for their lifetime.”

Fielding Graduate University is pleased to announce the appointment of Steven A. Schapiro, EdD, as the interim dean of academic affairs. This position will play an important role in developing and implementing a new Fielding vision as well as insuring the integrity of its academic programs as the university undergoes significant re-structuring. “I am excited to take on this new position in order to help Fielding maintain and strengthen our leadership role in providing a progressive and truly student-centered approach to graduate education,” Schapiro stated. “In the challenging and competitive educational landscape in which we find ourselves, we have much to teach the higher education community about how to implement individualized, experiential, and competency-based learning. Our approach is not tied to “seat time” or an overly standardized curriculum, but to inquiry and authentic learning in response to individual and societal needs. At the same time, I believe that we can learn from other progressive and learner-centered institutions about doing critical and emancipatory teaching, creating collaborative learning communities in cyber-space, and responding to the needs of the tech savvy and increasingly diverse students of today.”

The new dean will eventually assume the role of accreditation liaison officer (ALO) and guide the faculty in the program review process among many other essential responsibilities. “As our new ALO,” Schapiro reflected, “I will be drawing on my experience in this role at one of our sister institutions, Goddard College. I see my role of ALO as serving as a bridge and translator between us and our accrediting agency, WASC; helping WASC to understand and appreciate the unique dimensions of our learning model and forms of authentic and performance based assessment, and helping us to understand and respond to WASC’s call for clarity about what outcomes we expect from our students’ learning experiences, how we assess that learning, and how we use that knowledge to improve our practices.”

Dr. Schapiro has enjoyed a distinguished career in higher education. He received his EdD in psychological education from the University of Massachusetts, an MAT in social studies from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, and a BA Magna Cum Laude in American studies from Yale University. His preparation for administration was strengthened by attendance at Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management. He has authored books, book chapters, and journal articles, and given over 50 scholarly presentations. Dr. Schapiro has served as a faculty member in Fielding’s School of Human & Organizational Development since 2000, and as the Malcolm Knowles Chair in Adult Learning since 2013. He has most recently served as senior co-chair of the Academic Senate Leadership Committee. His previous administrative work included dean for academic affairs at Goddard College where he also served as director of teacher education and special assistant to the president for Institutional Research and Planning. Dr. Schapiro will serve in the role of interim dean for the next two years before a national search is conducted.

During the hooding and conferral of the degree, President Rogers reflected on Dr. Goldstein’s accomplishments, “He is a pioneer in the development of the legal environment in higher education, a counselor at the highest levels of legislation, a leader in championing creative approaches to higher education and an advocate of the highest ideals of learning as a means towards a more just and sustainable future for humanity.”

Following the conferral, Dr.Goldstein delivered the commencement address to the Fielding Summer Session 2015 graduates titled “The Importance of Timing and Convergence: Learning to Love Competency Based Learning.” In his remarks, Dr. Goldstein pointed to the barriers to learning based not on time-in-seat but demonstrated competencies, proposing the creation of what he termed a “super-accreditor specifically for the purpose of reviewing and evaluating non-time-based approaches to teaching, learning and documenting competencies.”

Dr. Goldstein served a total of 23 years as a Fielding trustee, including as its chair, before retiring from the board in 2015. In 2012, the board created the Michael B. Goldstein Endowed Board Scholarship for Dissertation Research Advancing Social Justice, in recognition of his longtime service as a trustee and distinguished leader. This scholarship supports research by Fielding doctoral candidates on topics that further the achievement of a specific aspect of social justice. President Rogers appointed Dr. Goldstein as co-chair of Fielding’s newly organized President’s Advisory Council.

Dr. Goldstein is the founder and headed the education practice at Dow Lohnes, which merged with Cooley in 2014. Dr. Goldstein is a pioneer in the development and rational regulation of online, competency based, and other nontraditional modes of learning, including the creation of innovative approaches to combining the resources of the nonprofit, public, and for-profit sectors to improve access to quality higher education. He is the 2014 recipient of WCET’s Richard Jonsen Award for leadership in e-learning and is widely recognized for his distinguished service to many higher educational organizations.

Before entering private law practice, Dr. Goldstein was Associate Vice Chancellor for Urban and Governmental Affairs and Associate Professor of Urban Sciences at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Prior to that, he was an Assistant City Administrator and the Director Of University Relations for New York City. Dr. Goldstein holds a BA from Cornell University, a JD from New York University and was a Loeb Fellow at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University.